Steve Schimmrich is a geologist and community college professor in a rural area of the mid-Hudson Valley of New York. All of the opinions expressed here are strictly his own. Sometimes he gets cranky and uses bad words.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Attended graduation today at the college where I teach (well, technically yesterday since it's past midnight). Two things really affected me. One was when the president asked the graduates "Who here is ths first in your family to attend college and graduate?" and a significant portion of the students raised their hands. This is what community colleges are all about.

The other is when a student held up his diploma, smiled widely, and his mom took his picture. His mom looked like she was bursting with pride and about to start crying.

When you teach, it's easy to get cynical. You deal the most with the bad students who cause problems. The better students often pass by unnoticed. At graduation, however, you see the successes. Happy students celebrating a genuine accomplishement no one can take from them.